While the EV segment in India is growing at a rather rapid pace, the charging infrastructure still needs to catch up a lot. Indian highways are still devoid of charging stations but several private entities are working towards their expansion. The Government too, is helping to boost the electric revolution even further by rolling out subsidies and facilitating the installation of EV charging stations. Similarly, BHEL ( Bhartiya Heavy Electric Limited ) has inaugurated a solar-powered charging station on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway. The Delhi-Chandigarh Highway has become the first electric vehicle-friendly highway in the country.
About the Charging Station
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) set up a network of Electric Vehicle Charging stations on this particular highway under the FAME 1 scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India) Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries, inaugurated the state-of-the-art solar-based charging station at Karna Lake Resort. This solar-powered EV charging station at Karnal lake resort is exactly located at the middle point of the Delhi-Chandigarh highway. It is equipped to provide to all types of electric cars plying currently in the country. Additionally, the company is also upgrading the other charging stations on this highway within this year.
The formation of similar EV chargers at regular intervals of 25-30 km on the highway will decrease range anxiety among EV consumers and strengthen their confidence for inter-city travel. This was a major drawback, and this initiative will help to solve this. The Solar-based Electric Vehicle Charging stations are equipped with individual grid-connected rooftop solar plants to supply green and clean energy to the charging stations. The solar-powered charging station on one-of-a-kind and will surely be of great importance.